1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved air brush apparatus that is easier to clean and more comfortable to use.
2. Description of Related Art
Air brush devices are important tools for artisans to produce high quality automotive, van, motorcycle and other vehicle art. These devices are able to produce painted images better than an artisan can create using a regular brush. These devices can also be difficult to clean and difficult to use over a long period of time. The related art describes a number of air brushes that have a variety of features.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,990 issued to Luff, describes the use of an air brush with a spray head which carries a liquid spray nozzle that is fed from a tube into a liquid reservoir. An air jet is positioned adjacent the spray nozzle and mechanism for conducting pressure air from a source to the air jet to cause a stream of air past the spray jet where a negative pressure induced at the spray jet which draws liquid from the reservoir and into the air stream where it is entrained as minute droplets.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,903 issued to Tomatsu, describes the use of a small and lightweight compressor which has a motor which generates rotational drive, which is converted into reciprocating movement to actuate an air compressing mechanism to discharge compressed air. Three or more air compressing members are successively operated with a phase difference therebetween to continuously discharge a smooth current of compressed air out of a discharge hole. The compressor can be part of a spray apparatus with an air brush in which a movable needle is inserted in a liquid path.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,158 issued to Robisch et al., describes the use of an air brush which comprises a handle and a front body. The handle and the front body together define a tubular cavity through which air may travel. The air brush defines a longitudinal axis. The front body is rotationally connected to the handle in such a way that the tubular cavity is in communication through the handle and the front body as the front body is rotated about the longitudinal axis of the air brush.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,913 issued to Robisch et al., describes the use of an air brush provided with a handle, a front body, an adjusting screw and a paint regulating needle. The handle, front body and the adjusting screw together define a tubular cavity through which the paint regulating needle is held. One end of the paint regulating needle extends outside of the handle and defines a stop which the adjusting screw cannot pass and its other end extends through the handle and the front body. A spring biases the paint regulating needle forward so that paint cannot flow out of the front body until desired.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,779,157 and 5,927,602 issued to Robisch et al., describe an air brush provided with a handle, a front body and a paint regulating needle. The handle and the front body together define a tubular cavity through which the paint regulating needle is carried. A needle chuck releasably holds the paint regulating needle in the tubular cavity. The handle further defines a portal through which the needle chuck may be accessed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,646 issued to Kitajima, describes the use of an air brush with a function of spraying an ink coating of a writing material, a holder holding attachably and detachably a writing material, which is mounted to an air brush main body having a coating storing vessel and a brush tip of the writing material. The holder is adjacently disposed directly in front of a nozzle of the air brush main body at a predetermined angle of inclination where the ink coating impregnated in the brush tip is atomized by impinging a jet stream from the nozzle onto the brush tip.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,050 issued to Kitajima, describes the use of an air brush which has a function to improve a maintenance work characteristic within the air brush""s main body and is capable of selectively realizing a plurality of different blowing injection forms. The air brush""s main body is separated between the coating material container and the air supplying port so as to separate into the nozzle container unit at the extreme end of the main body and the residual main body unit.
Great Britain Pat. No. 1,587,898 granted to SKM, relates to a method of atomizing liquid products and also to a spray gun for carrying out this method. The method and spray gun according to this invention are intended more particularly, but not exclusively for atomizing and spraying paints and varnishes.
All of the devices described in these patents are useful. However, what is really needed is an air brush that is not only easy to clean, but also is more comfortable to use than current double-action air brushes. It is not uncommon for a user to be uncomfortable while using an air brush for an extended period of time, and painters and other users would welcome a better designed and more comfortable air brush.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The invention is an air brush apparatus that is made up of a head assembly, a shell assembly, an air valve assembly for controlling the compressed air which is fed into the apparatus, a handle assembly, a lever assembly, and a paint regulating needle, with a distal end and a proximal end, being movably inserted into the handle assembly and through the air valve assembly and into the head assembly. The paint regulating needle can be cleaned by simply twisting the handle assembly. The apparatus also is designed with a more comfortable and ergonomic lever handle assembly.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved air brush apparatus that is easy to clean.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved air brush apparatus that is more comfortable to use.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved air brush apparatus that is easier to use over an extended period of usage.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.